Since taking a leave of absence three months ago Dr. Robert Satcher, has been darting across the country, visiting Houston space centers and swimming on the Florida coast while accepting a steady dose of congratulatory messages.

Although Satcher, 38, is enjoying himself, this is certainly no vacation. The Feinberg School of Medicine professor is strenuously preparing for his greatest, or at least farthest, trip ever — outer space.

In May the National Aeronautics and Space Administration selected Satcher for its Astronaut Candidate Program, which gives civilians the opportunity to participate as mission specialists aboard NASA shuttles.

“This was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time,” said Satcher, who first submitted a written application four years ago. “I’ve been interested in space since I was really young.”

As one of 11 candidates from a pool of nearly 2,900, Satcher faced an extensive selection process that culminated in a full week of interviews, physicals and psychiatric examinations.

“When it gets down to the final analysis, it’s a mix of work experience, academics and personality,” said Duane Ross, manager for astronaut candidate selection and training at NASA. “Robert certainly is strong in all these areas.”

Satcher, who has a bachelor of science and a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, has taught orthopedic surgery at Feinberg since 2002. One of the few surgeons in the nation who performs limb salvage surgery, Satcher specializes in bone deterioration, a field he hopes to further research in space.

“NASA is looking to research how to prevent the type of bone mass loss that’s been seen (in space),” he said. “I’ve researched the effects of forces on the skeletal system, which of course has relevance to the impact of microgravity.”

Although his place is not guaranteed, Satcher will most likely participate in a space mission within the next few years. He must first, however, complete an intensive astronaut training process that takes 18 to 25 months.

With his new home base at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Satcher will spend the next year absorbing every detail of a space mission, from survival tactics to operating the controls of a shuttle. Held at a variety of NASA bases across the country, training occurs in phases with small breaks in between.

“Most training phases are very intense because the material’s very condensed, so there’s a lot to learn in a few weeks,” said NASA spokeswoman Nicole Cloutier. “They start in the morning, usually before 8 a.m., go past meal-time and usually study in the evenings.”

Satcher and his fellow candidates recently completed a six-week military water survival course in Pensacola, Fla. The course included scuba certification, written work and endurance tests, not to mention the endless flow of details astronauts must commit to memory.

“The whole intent of the first year is to focus on contingencies,” Satcher said. “There are things you have to remember to do, procedures that have to be followed. It’s partly physically and partly mentally demanding. It’s balanced that way.”

Upcoming phases in the process include flight training, in which the candidates will learn to fly a military jet, and space flight simulations that will provide the experience of weightlessness.

Despite having to rapidly absorb a vast amount of information, Satcher refuted any notions of a rigid and grueling routine.

“I guess some people think this is like the military,” he said. “We’re not training to invade a country, but learning stuff that’s specific to what we do. If, for instance, we land in the water, we need to be able to survive until they pick us up. It’s not the same as going into a hostile country in war.”

Thus while he certainly keeps busy, Satcher still has time to spend with his wife D’Juanna and 3-month-old daughter Daija, who soon will join him for the rest of his training process.

“My wife has been very supportive,” he said. “She has her concerns, but she knows it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

As if Satcher’s NASA achievement were not enough, Daija was born only one week before his astronaut selection.

“His life is much more hectic now,” said Darlene Whittington, program director for the department of orthopedic surgery at Feinberg. “But it hasn’t changed him one bit.”

Satcher’s brimming schedule of fatherhood, astronaut training and the occasional news interview may appear to be a daunting slate. But Whittington said Satcher is no newcomer to multitasking.

“To be a clinician, scientist, surgeon and teacher all at once is unusual,” she said. “What’s amazing about him is that somehow he pulls it all together. He juggles it pretty well.”

Whittington, who has assisted Satcher in organizing an interdisciplinary conference, also emphasized his easy-going nature.

“He’s very humble. To me that’s his strongest personality trait,” she said. “He’s very ambitious, but when you first meet him, you see him as laid back, calm, down to earth.”

Satcher’s personality also impressed NASA.

“He’s a very smart person but also friendly and easy to get along with, which is key,” Ross said. “There are a lot of smart people out there who can do the job, but they may not necessarily be the people you want to train.”

Given the importance of amicability in the selection process, it is not surprising that the candidates, seven from America, three from Japan and one from Romania, are adjusting smoothly to their long-term experience.

“This is a career change. We expect that when people get picked to be an astronaut, they’re going to be here for a long time,” Ross said. “The candidates have several occasions to be together, and they’re definitely bonding.”

Though Satcher is many months and training phases away from official status as a U.S. astronaut, he is steadily achieving his childhood dream. And while he still has a sizeable amount of information, testing, practice and memorization to conquer, he enjoys the challenge and excitement of the training process.

“It’s been very fun and very stimulating,” he said. “It’s like I’m back in (medical) school.”

Campus Reporter Jean Luo is Medill junior. She can be reached at [email protected].